SIBA: Rate of closure for UK breweries slows in first half of 2026
According to the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) UK Brewery Tracker, the rate of brewery closures has slowed in the first half of 2026 compared to 2025.
In these first six months, net closures have averaged less than one brewery a week – compared to nearly three a week in 2025.
Looking at all brewery openings and closures in the UK, total net closures were -16 from January to June 2026, compared to a loss of -137 breweries over all of 2025.
These figures suggest that closures over 2026 may be on track to be significantly lower than the previous year.
Commenting on these figures, Andy Slee, SIBA’s chief executive, said: “The figures released today are a sign that brewery closure numbers may be beginning to stabilise following a number of particularly tough years – but for most breweries the struggles are not behind them.
“Brewing businesses which have managed to weather the storm are seeing strong demand for independent beer, but profitability is still a concern with lack of access to pubs, high taxation and high production costs hitting brewers.”
In 2025 closures hit record levels due to continued cost increases and left over debt from Covid, which hit brewers hard.
Many breweries are still struggling, and SIBA has called for an increase to Draught Relief – a lower rate of duty for draught beer – along with asking the government to prioritise its market access review, which is looking at ways to improve access to pubs for small, independent breweries.
Slee added that “consumer demand for indie beer remains really strong, but getting beers on the bar is tougher than ever with brewers on average not able to access 62% of the pubs in their local market. Independent beer offers quality, variety and a range of styles and flavours – but bars are dominated by a handful of mega brands”.
Brewery closures in the first six months of 2026 were also unevenly distributed by region, with the North West (+3), the South East (+3), Wales (+3) and the South West (+1) all seeing numbers increase.
Scotland (-9), the North East (-8), the Midlands (-4), Northern Ireland (-4) and the East of England (-1) all saw closures.
The SIBA UK Brewery Tracker is put together by professional staff employed by SIBA, and is cross-referenced by SIBA regional directors in each of the nine SIBA regions across the UK.
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